One winner and five losers from Manchester United 3-1 defeat to Brighton

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After dicing with disaster against Southampton, Manchester United collapsed predictably at home to Brighton.

Manchester United’s poor head-to-head record against Brighton made the January 19 fixture an obvious banana skin.

Combine that with a real shaky record at Old Trafford in recent weeks, and Manchester United fans half-expected defeat.

And that’s precisely what happened, with Manchester United losing 3-1 to Brighton

Winners

Let’s face it, there’s slim pickings here. Would you blame us if we kept this section blank? But if you look hard enough – there are glimmers of positivity to lean on.

Joshua Zirkzee

Once again, a goal was too much to ask from Joshua Zirkzee, but place this performance in context to his last Manchester United start.

Zirkzee’s last start for Manchester United saw him embarrassingly hooked after just 32 minutes, booed by some fans, and seen as the fall guy for a terrible performance vs Newcastle.

The Dutchman earned his spot back in United’s starting line-up over the last fortnight, and lasted 84 minutes against Brighton – that’s a big improvement.

Losers

This section is more substantial, and once again we could put most of the Manchester United team, coaching staff, and the fans for having to watch through that, and being let down once again. However, let’s try to narrow it down…

Andre Onana

Vastly improved in the first part of the season, Andre Onana has allowed errors to creep into his game over the past few weeks.

Onana failed to clear a weak shot, parrying it into the path of Brighton substitute Georginio Rutter, a moment that extended Brighton’s lead to 3-1, killing the game off.

The goalkeeper’s performances are causing some fans to lose faith, and there could be a sighting of FA Cup hero Altay Bayindir before we know it.

Diogo Dalot

After missing the game against Southampton through suspension, Diogo Dalot has not won a game at Old Trafford since December 1.

Some would say that’s not an unfortunate coincidence. Aside from a good game away at Liverpool, Dalot has been performing poorly at left wing-back, and the break did not seem to do him any good.

Dalot completed just 76 per cent of his passes against Brighton, being dispossessed four times, and he consistently looks shaky. Manchester United need a real left-back.

Leny Yoro

Another tough game for Leny Yoro, who was exposed against Southampton. Ruben Amorim threw him straight back in, and it did not work.

Yoro looks like an untested teenager playing in the Premier League, rather than a commanding centre-half. He’s more of a project than Manchester United would have hoped, at the moment.

The Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte partnership

It’s hard to single out either Kobbie Mainoo or Manuel Ugarte, other than pointing out that together, they really did not work in this game.

Amorim hooked both on 64 minutes, keen to try a new approach, feeling that neither player was going to be instrumental to a United comeback.

Both players were poor in the loss against Southampton too, and whether it’s a case of struggling to implement Amorim’s tactics, or simply being exhausted and off the pace, neither Ugarte or Mainoo performed well.

They remain the pairing Amorim trusts the most – with Casemiro once again an unused substitute.